The present invention relates generally to the dispensing and mixing of multiflavored foods such as milkshakes, frozen custards, slushes, and the like, more particularly to an efficient and cost-effective method of preparing a flavored shake, and also to the utilization of a flavor-injected blender for mixing and dispensing such foods without the need for large storage facilities and costly equipment.
Beverage dispensing systems are used to provide consumers with beverages that are typically a mixture of previously stored concentrate and water. Further, milk shake machines are available for use in fast-food styled restaurants, but such machines are typically expensive. In addition, storage of product used is typically within the machine thus demanding expensive retail space for placement and convenient use.
By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,686 to Jarrett discloses a beverage dispensing system for providing different flavored drinks mixed from concentrate and water. The system has a number of containers for storing different flavors of concentrate for pumping to a hand-held, xe2x80x9cbar-gunxe2x80x9d styled, dispensing nozzle via a piping system including a coupling adapted to received pressurized water. Each container is in fluid communication with a specific fluid-driven proportion pump that is also in fluid communication with the pumping system. Separate and fluid supply lines extend from each pump to a dispensing head. Valves in the dispensing head control the discharge of fluid therefrom so that when a selected beverage is desired, the appropriate concentrate and water are discharged simultaneously to ensure that the end beverage contains the appropriate mixture of concentrate and fluid.
User-operated vending machines, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,957 to Sizemore, discloses a cup-type vending system that includes a currency output device and automatically outputs a beverage into a cup in response to a payment and selection of a beverage. The vending machine includes a plurality of disposable containers of beverage syrup, such as xe2x80x9cbag-in-boxxe2x80x9d packages, stored in an auxiliary cabinet. A dispensing system functions to draw syrup from the disposable containers and selectively dispense a predefined or selected amount of syrup into an awaiting cup. The system includes pumping stages wherein one stage draws a selected amount of syrup from a package through a feed conduit and discharges the selected amount through a nozzle into the cup.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,934,759 to Giannella et al. discloses a milk shake machine having a multiple mixing, blending and dispensing head for mixing and dispensing a variety of flavored milk shakes from one reservoir of unflavored comestible. Each head incorporates a premix chamber, wherein an unflavored, neutral comestible is injected under pressure, and is mixed under turbulence with a selected flavoring syrup which is also injected under pressure. A flexible shaft beater mixes the partially mixed comestible with the flavoring syrup and a triple port dispensing nozzle directs the mixed flavored milk shake into a container for serving.
By way of further example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,295,997 to Tomlinson et al. discloses a milk shake machine which include a mixer for reducing pre-frozen flavored ingredients stored within a container to a flavored milk shake with the addition of a preselected amount of milk supplied from a milk storage tank carried by the machine.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,323,691 to Reese et al. discloses a frozen drink mixer for preparing blended beverages, particularly frozen drinks, in which an ice dispenser, liquid mix dispenser, and blender are combined into a single unit. The apparatus automatically delivers an appropriate amount of ice and liquid to the blender unit and turns on the blender at an appropriate time to prepare the frozen drink of desired size. A drink mixing and dispensing machine described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,855,007 stores a mix within a tank carried by the machine and pumps the mix through a freezing chamber prior to dispensing into a cup which is held under a mixing blade. Syrup pumps are also carried within the cabinet of the machine for dispensing one or two syrups into the cup before repositioning the cup under the mixer for dispensing and mixing the syrup with the milk shape styled mix.
While a variety of milk-shake-styled syrup dispensing and mixing devices and methods are known in the art, there remains a need for an economical method for efficiently and cost effectively providing a customer with a plurality of options for a milk shake flavored as desired by the customer.
There also remains a need to provide an inexpensive system to provide a flavored shake to a customer while maintaining low capital cost as well as low operating cost and do such while maintaining the cleanliness and health standards demanded in the industry.
In view of the foregoing background, it is an object of the present invention to provide an efficient method of preparing a flavored confection such as a nondairy milk shake within health-conscious standards. As is well known, strict sanitation codes and enforcement of these codes creates a need for improved and simplified food dispensing methods. It is further an object of the present invention to provide a variety of flavors while minimizing storage and expanding accessibility for such flavors. It is another object to use such flavors with a neutral flavored mix for use as a base to which selected flavors are dispensed. It is yet another object of the invention to minimize inventory needs typical in an ice cream counter styled restaurant and improve on the speed of service for such a restaurant. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such a method at a cost well below that associated with current methods that include typically expensive storage and processing equipment.
In another aspect of the present invention, it is an object to provide a system for providing a variety of flavors for a flavored food while minimizing storage and expanding accessibility for such flavors. It is further an object to use such flavors with a neutral-flavored, prepackaged shake mix for use as a base to which selected flavors are dispensed. It is yet another object of the invention to minimize inventory needs typical in the ice cream counter styled restaurant and improve on the speed of service for such a restaurant.
These and other objects, advantages, and features of the present invention are provided by a method for preparing a flavored slurried confection that comprises providing a disposable serving container and depositing a neutral flavored mix into the container for storage prior to the preparation of the confection. It is desirable that the neutral-flavored mix have a freezing-point temperature lower than normally found for that of water. It is further desired that the mix-filled container is stored within a storage freezer for maintaining the neutral-flavored mix at a storage temperature, and transferred to a tempering freezer generally close to a preparation and serving area for maintaining the neutral-flavored mix at a blending temperature. The mix-filled container is removed from the tempering freezer for preparation of a flavored confection. In order to provide a variety of flavors for selection by a customer, a plurality of flavored syrups is provided. In the preparation of the confection, the mix-filled container is manually positioning for pumping a selected syrup into the container. The syrup is selected from the plurality of flavored syrups, and a small quantity is pumped into the mix-filled container for blending the selected syrup with the neutral-flavored mix. During the blending, the mix preferably remains chilled, whereby the small quantity of syrup adds a selected flavor to the body and mass of the neutral-flavored mix for forming the flavored slurried confection within the disposable serving container. The flavored slurried confection is then served within the disposable serving container for consumption in that same disposable serving container.
In a preferred embodiment, the plurality of flavored syrups are stored in bag-in-a-box-styled packages. In an alternate preparation and serving method, an open-ended tubular sleeve is attached to the mix-filled container prior to pumping the syrup. The open-ended tubular sleeve extends walls of the container for limiting splashing of the mix during blending, and may comprise inserting the sleeve into the container, or attaching the sleeve about a lip of the container, as desired. The sleeve may remain or be removed prior to serving the prepared confection.
it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a system for efficiently and effectively preparing a flavored food such as a comestible drink, such as a milk-shake styled drink within health conscience standards. As is well known, strict sanitation codes and enforcement of these codes create a need for improved and simplified food dispensing systems and methods. It is further an object to provide a variety of flavors while minimizing storage and expanding accessibility for such flavors. It is further an object to use such flavors with a neutral flavored, pre-packaged shake mix for use as a base to which selected flavors are dispensed. It is yet another object of the invention to minimize inventory needs typical in the ice cream counter styled restaurant and improve on the speed of service for such a restaurant.
Additional objects, features, and advantages are provided by another aspect of the invention, a system for preparing a comestible flavored food comprising a housing, connection means carried by the housing for fluid communication with a food flavoring reservoir, a nozzle carried by the housing, the nozzle in fluid communication with the connection means for dispensing a selected food flavoring into a cup positioned external to the housing, a valve communicating with the connection means for controlling the food flavoring flow to the nozzle, the valve further having means for selectively delivering a predefined amount of food flavoring to the nozzle in response to selection of a food flavoring by a user, and a blender carried by the housing, the blender having a spindle head external the housing for positioning into a cup for blending a food flavoring dispensed into the cup with a mix stored in the cup. Further, a reservoir is provided for storing a plurality of different food flavorings therein, along with a conduit communicating between the reservoir and the connection means, and pump means in fluid communication with the conduit for drawing food flavoring from the reservoir and supplying the food flavoring to the connection means. A selected flavored food mix is thus prepared and served within a cup originally used for storing the mix.